Conference
NIBS Annual Conference 2019
Harbin, China May 8-10, 2019
The 2019 NIBS Annual Conference will be held at Heilongjiang International University, in Harbin, China. Only two hours from Beijing by air, or eight hours by bullet train, the city is easily reached from virtually anywhere in the world. This will be the first NIBS Conference to be held in China and HIU will be providing a number of opportunities for NIBS members to network with old and new friends. Experts and universities from across China will be invited to join us, so it’s the perfect opportunity to expand your Chinese network. The theme of the conference will be “Changing China” which reflects the rapid changes in China and especially the changes in the education and business sector. It promises to be a fascinating insight.
Harbin (population: 10.6 million) is the capital of Heilongjiang province, and China’s eighth most populous city. It first prospered as a region inhabited by immigrants from Russia—an influence that can still be seen today. The city is the largest in northeastern China, and the region’s most significant cultural, industrial and business centre.
Heilongjiang is China’s base for the production of commodity grain, thanks to the rich soil in surrounding areas. The area also boasts a diverse industrial economy, with a strong presence in textiles, medicine, food, aircraft, automobile, metallurgy, electronics, building materials, and chemicals. Hydro and thermal power equipment manufactured in the area makes up one-third of the total installed capacity in China.
Getting to Harbin
You can fly direct to Shanghai or Beijing and either pick up an internal flight or take the high speed bullet train. Booking both the international and internal flights with a Chinese carrier will give you the best value return ticket as usually Chinese carriers charge a minimum for adding on the internal flight.
Accommodation
We are currently confirming our conference hotel and look forward to confirming details and providing a link for registration by mid-November 2018.
Transfers
A free arrival transfer is offered to delegates arriving either at the airport or train station. Please note we must have your arrivals detail at least 7 days prior to your arrival to guarantee your pick-up.
Registration
How to register
Please register through our NIBS Shop where you can pay by credit card or request to pay by wire service (bank transfer) and an invoice will be generated immediately for you. Deadline for registration is beginning of April 2019. The registration cost is 400 euro’s to include airport pick-up, conference meals and the NIBS Gala dinner.
Delegates should register early so that they can receive their formal invitation letter to begin the Chinese visa process which we recommend you allow at least 6-8 weeks to complete.
Visa process
Delegates are advised to apply for their Chinese visa at least 45 days in advance of travelling and we kindly remind delegates that it is their own responsibility to apply for a visa for entry to China. There are two choices of visa depending on the “main” purpose of your visit.
F visa is for those who are invited to China for guest lectures, exchange and study tours (this includes conferences although it is not explicit in the guidelines).
You will require an invitation letter from HIU to apply for a F visa. Please email us, contact below, with the following information to receive a letter of invitation within 5 working days, please note our national holiday closure dates for the Chinese New Year are closure from 22 Jan – 4 March 2019. Please note a scanned version is acceptable.
- Your full name as it appears on your passport
Gender (Male / Female)
Nationality - Date of Birth: (e.g. March 25, 1960)
Passport No.:
L visa is for those who are visiting China for the main purpose of tourism, attending a conference is still allowed provided tourism is the main purpose. You will need details of your itinerary to include hotel bookings and flight confirmation to apply.
For further information please visit the China Visa Application Service Centre, which is the organisation officially appointed to process visa’s on behalf of the People’s Republic of China. http://www.visaforchina.org. Alternatively, please visit the website of your local Chinese Embassy or Consulate for details.
Passports: Please ensure that you have at least two blank pages available in your passport and the passport is valid for at least 6 months.
Programme
A provisional programme will be uploaded in mid-November. Delegates will be invited to a welcome reception on Tuesday 7 May at 18:00hrs to mark an informal start to the conference.
Calls for Contribution
Poster Session We know there is a wealth of excellent practice, research and innovation which supports internationalisation amongst our member schools. We would like to take this opportunity to invite members to share their projects in a poster session which will open after the David Gillingham Award presentations and then run for the duration of the conference. Posters should be A0 size and text should be at least font size 12. Posters can be printed locally in Harbin, but they must be submitted by 30 April 2019. Delegates who do not submit at this point are responsible for bringing their own printed poster.
Presentation Session In addition to the poster sessions we are also inviting members to present and share internationally orientated research and educational innovations. The sessions will be 30-45 minute parallel sessions offered to delegates.
If you are interested in presenting a poster or running a presentation session please contact Lara Martin by 20 April 2019 at the latest to reserve a place, places are limited, so we are working on a first come, first served basis.
HIU conference contact
Lara Martin, Director of International Development, Heilongjiang International University
Email: lara.martin@hiu.edu.cn
Wechat: laramartin1
Don’t hesitate to contact Lara if you have any queries.